Blinding Fire Book 1: Water
by AurelieBonhoffen
Summary: What if there was another reason Zuko saved Katara from the lightning? What if it was because of an old legend, that is the reason for the Avatar's existence? WARNING! CONTAINS OC'S! AND SARCASM! AND BADASSERY! Oh, and love triangles. Lots of those. And hilariousness.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everybody! I COULDN'T HELP IT! I had this idea, and I need it on here. It's called, IFTHANTGROTFH. It means: I fangirl too hard and need to get rid of the fangirly hormones. **

**Kiara's P.O.V.**

His fingertips slowly traced my skin, and his feather-light touches had me shivering in delight. The things he did with those hands... I buried myself closer into his chest, and he laughed.

"Eager, are we?", He purred, and I smiled.

"Well, you're not the one submitting to magic fingers.", I replied, and he laughed again.

"Kiara, I must say, you are beautiful this afternoon.", I blushed as he whispered my name, this bastard prince...

"Zuko, please, stop it.", I pouted, and he lifted my chin so we were looking into each other's eyes.

"What's wrong?", His amber eyes searched mine, and I sighed.

"It's nothing.", I smiled, but he saw through the façade and held me close.

"It's today, isn't it?", He asked, and I nodded.

"It's been three years, but it still hurts.", I began to cry, and he rubbed my back as we wallowed in the pain of losing our mothers: Zuko's having been taken away, and mine dying in a fight during the war.

"Hey, it's going to be alright.", He whispered, and I nodded before wiping away my tears.

"Sorry you had to see that.", I apologised, but he only laughed and brushed back some of my abnormally brown hair.

"I want a human girlfriend, not a robot with no emotion.", He grinned, and I laughed before tackling him to the ground. "Wha-", He hadn't finish his question before I began to tickle him. "Oh spirits, no! Kiara, stop it! Please! Stop!", He laughed, and I kissed his nose before standing up, grass dancing around my ankles. "You're in for it now!", He yelled, before standing up and quickly wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Oh crap.", I whimpered, and he buried his face into my hair, before inhaling.

"Have I ever told you that you smell like butterscotch?", He asked, and I giggled at the random fact.

"Azula told me once that I smelt like berries.", I shrugged, and he laughed. I looked up at the sky, and frowned, It was no longer blue, but a pale pink.

"We need to go.", He frowned, before sliding his arms off me, grabbing my hand and leading me back to the capital.

...

**Heyo! Well, this is just learning to walk, hold on to it for a while, okay? And this is more of an intro, so HOLD ON!**

**Okay, well, erm,**

**BYE!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Lovely little xbluesx,**

**This isn't Zutara. It is Zukara. There is a big difference. :P**

**Zuko4Life,**

**I am honestly worried about you. You seriously spazzed on my page! I take it you liked it :)**

**And beautiful plucie**

**THANK YOU! This is my first ATLA fan fiction, so thank you! :D**

**Now, enjoy!**

...

**Zuko**

Kiara's hand slipped out of mine, and I pouted at the loss of contact. "Are you, pouting?", She asked, and I blushed before looking away. "Oh my spirits, you are!"

"Shut up.", I grumbled, and she laughed before kissing my cheek.

"Goodbye, Zuko.", She smiled, before jumping over the fence and out of sight. How I scored a girl like her, I will never know.

"C'mon, no distractions.", I hissed, and quickly darted my way through the back streets of the city. Nobody saw me, thank goodness. Years of training really did pay off. I caught sight of the servant's door at the palace, and grinned. Now to get inside.

I waited for the perfect opportunity, and it came when somebody left a barrel near the door. Bingo. I quickly hid myself in there, and, soon after, somebody carried me inside. When the barrel was left in the kitchen, I quickly sprinted through the empty corridors, and sharply turned a corner. Unfortunately, I didn't notice my Uncle, who I crashed into. I bounced off his stomach and landed on the floor in front of him.

"With that girl again Zuko? You know it is too dangerous for this to happen between you two." He scolded me.

"Yes, Uncle. But, what if that girl was the world to you, you would give up everything to make her happy, keep her safe, make her yours?", I asked him, looking at him.

"You and her... I can't believe it.", He shook his head, before laughing. "What am I saying? I was just like that!", He laughed even harder. "Look after her, Zuko. She's a good girl, and you don't find girls like those every century."

I smiled, "I know, I know. How I ended up with her is the greatest mystery of this world." Honestly though, how did a guy like me end up with _her_... of all people! Suddenly, a gong was hit, and I froze. Shit. I quickly bolted past my Uncle and slipped between a crimson curtain and sat down on a bamboo mat.

"You are so lucky.", My Uncle muttered, damn he was fast, and I nodded. A gong sounded again, and I stood up as my father walked in.

His golden eyes were stern, and he wore his usual red cloak with gold embroidery. He sat at the head of the table, and I sighed as we sat down after him. The map on the table was laden with markers, resembling the Earth Kingdom, Water Tribes and our own troops. I watched as they moved around, and my mind drifted off to other things.

Alright, you got me.

I was thinking of Kiara.

What!? She's hot as hell!

Anyway, a few words caught my attention, and I paid attention to what was going on.

General Zhao pointed to a cluster of markers, the Earth Kingdom, then to a lone Fire Nation marker, "We send Troop 45 here, they fight off these Earthbenders.

Wait a second. "But sir,", Someone spoke up,"Troop 45 is only new recruits. They'll die!"

Wait... wasn't Kiara's brother in Troop 45? "They're bait, idiot!", Zhao spat,"While they're distracted, we attack with our finest benders.", He hit the Earth Kingdom markers with his hand, and they scattered all over the map. "It's fool proof."

My nails cut into my skin as my hands balled into fists. This isn't right, dammit. I looked around the room, and everyone was nodding. Oh hell to the no. I stood up, ever so slowly, and Uncle's eyes widened. "What are you doing!?", He hissed.

"This isn't right!", I yelled. "The Fire Nation relies on us for protection. These men are more than willing to fight for their rights, yet we will only send them to their deaths? What does that make us!?"

Zhao looked like he was going to explode, and he slowly stood up. "General! Sit down!", My father snapped, and Zhao sat down, shooting daggers from his eyes at me. My father then turned to me. "Prince Zuko, you have gone against the Fire Nation, therefore you have gone against me. You will pay for your treachery, boy."

"He's doomed.", Somebody whispered, and I shrugged it off.

"You have pushed me far enough. You are doomed for a painful end, Prince Zuko. An Agni Kai awaits you.", He snarled, before he turned and left. Zhao followed him out, and I glared at him as he walked past.

"You idiot!", Uncle hissed, before hitting me on the head.

"What did I do?", I hissed back, and he looked at me like I was insane. "Alright! I shouldn't have spoken up.", I admitted, and he sighed.

"You'll need incredible skill to win the duel tomorrow.", He looked away, and I stiffened. Tomorrow. Why of all days!? "What is it?"

"That was the day...", I slid my hand into my pocket, and pulled out a half-finished necklace. It was made with a crimson ribbon, and an amber crystal rested on the gold link connected to it.

"Zuko! She's too young!", Uncle growled, and I glared at him.

"I know! But... It'd just be nice to know that, you know, when I'm old enough...", I trailed off, my eyes on the bright moon in the night sky. "That we would be together, forever."

...

**Kiara's P.O.V**

"You like Zuko, I knew it!", Ty Lee squealed, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Shush! Mai might hear, then I'm doomed.", I joked, and she nodded, eyes bright. Honestly, she was so adorable!

"So, when was your first date?", She whispered, and I blushed.

"On my birthday, six months ago.", I confessed, and she gasped.

"No!", Her eyes were wide, and I giggled again. "That long? I can't believe it! Why didn't you tell me?", She whined, and I sighed as she spazzed all around my room.

"Ty Lee! Come on!", My brother bounced into the room, and I laughed as a soft blush bloomed on his cheeks. Mako grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the room. "Bye, Kiara!", He waved, and Ty Lee grinned.

"Bye!", She waved, before they disappeared out of sight.

"Those two.", I looked up to see my father, and I grinned. He was a tall, lean man with black hair and bright amber eyes. Mako looked a lot like my father, I took after Mother.

"I will not be surprised if they start dating.", I confessed, and he laughed.

"Bet you three years.", He winked.

"Two, and if I'm right I get your desserts for a year.", I bargained, holding my hand out.

"Deal.", He shook my hand, before laughing a hearty laugh. "You remind me of your mother.", He sighed, before sliding his hand into his pocket. "Speaking of your mother, I was told to give you something today." He pulled out a crimson drawstring bag, and handed it to me.

I pulled the frail rope, and it opened to reveal the most beautiful set of earrings I had ever seen. "What?", I gently lifted them out, and gasped. The earrings were gold, and amber glistened on fine threads of gold, creating a gemstone flame.

"They belonged to your great-great-grandmother, on your mother's side.", He explained, "They were worn when the eldest daughter was ready to be trained."

"Trained for what?"

"Trained to fight."

I looked him dead in the eyes, "Bring it on."

**...**

**And that, my friends, is how this OC learned to kick butt.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Zuko's P.O.V.**

I laid in bed thinking about what tomorrow and the Agni Kai. Agni Kai. Nobody wants to be sentenced to that. Ever. A fight to defeat, sometimes death. Nobody left unscathed. I felt weary with worry, and soon fell into a troubled sleep.

I dreamt I was in the Agni Kai arena, and I was meeting my challenger. My challenger was Kiara. If this was actually real, I would stand no chance, she is the most powerful firebender in history. I could see the hatred in her golden eyes, then the fight began.

She soon had the upper hand, closing in with her fire creations. With me pinned to the cool marble wall, she unleashed her deadliest move; The Dragon's Kiss.

The Dragon's Kiss can only be done by a female firebender with grand powers. The victim is restrained using fire, dangerous in itself. The attacker then burns the victim from the inside out with a fire-filled kiss.

Kiara came closer and closer, the fire flickering in her eyes. She pressed her lips to mine, fire-hot. I could feel the fire running down my throat, into my lungs and stomach. The fire burned through my veins, my skin was heating up. I could smell my flesh burning...

I woke up in a sweat, suddenly sensitive to any noise. The sun wasn't up yet, and the air was cool. Ironic, as in a few short hours I would be facing the heat of a deathly flame. I got out of bed and got dressed. I slid out of my room and went for a walk in the gardens. I stopped in front of the statue of Avatar Roku.

The Avatar is a person able to master all types of bending; Earth, Water, Fire and Air. Avatar Roku was a member of the Fire Nation, and his re-incarnation was of the Air Nomads, which were destroyed, before I was born, by my father. Now that I think about it, did I really want to follow my father's footsteps if they lead to pain and sorrow?

I felt heat on my forehead, and looked up to the pink sky of the sunrise. Before the sun even peeked over the mountains, I was running towards the Arena.

Uncle Iroh was waiting at the door for me, scowling.

"You better be careful, Zuko. You have no idea what you have gotten yourself into.", He warned.

"I know, Uncle. But I will win. For her.", I told him.

"That's what I was afraid you would say." He said as he ushered me to the entrance to the arena. "Good luck. You'll need it." He turned and walked to his seat

**...**

**Iroh's P.O.V.**

I was nervous for Zuko, if only he knew who he was challenging...

I walked to my seat next to Zuko's sister, Azula, a firebending prodigy.

"He won't stand a chance.", She sneered to her friends.

"I know! Stupid Zuko! What was he thinking? Oh, yeah. He wasn't!" They agreed. The gong sounded and all the attention was drawn to the arena. A huge space of marble decorated with Fire Nation Emblems, it is our version of a trial. Only one side leaves unscathed.

The metal doors on one side opened, and Zuko walked in. He immediately began "Warming Up". The doors on the other side opened and in walked

_his_

_father!_

**...**

**Zuko's P.O.V.**

I might be right about human rights, but I will not fight my own father. I was on my knees begging for his forgiveness.

"Father, please. Please, I don't want to fight you. Forgive me. I will never speak out of line again. All I want is your forgiveness."

"Get up, Zuko. Do you not want to be the Fire Lord? You must learn your lesson."

"NO! I won't fight you!"

"I would have more spirit from your sister. Maybe she should fight you instead!"

"I said I WON'T FIGHT!"

"Zuko! FiGHT ME OR FACE BANISHMENT!"

"I WON'T FIGHT YOU!"

**...**

**Iroh's P.O.V.**

I could tell my brother was losing his patience, the rage was clearly displayed on his face. He walked up to Zuko, about 10 metre's away, and shot a flame at his son's face. I closed my eyes, but that didn't block out Zuko's scream and the smell of his flesh being cooked by the fire.

When the smoke cleared, and I dared to open my eyes, a horriffic sight entered my eyes. Most of Zuko's hair had been burned off, with only a section remaining. His left eye was bordered by a flame shaped scar. His skin was red-raw from the fire, and the smell of burning flesh still came from his person.

"Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation. I hereby banish you and strip you of your title. Unless you are able to capture the Avatar, you will be outlawed _forever!_", My brother declared, no remorse in his coal-black eyes.

"Father, please-"Zuko whispered. Azula smiled next to me, the jerk. Always picking on her older brother because she was a better firebender than him.

"SILENCE! You may have a fleet, that is all.", The Fire Lord left his son to be dragged away by a criminal and left. I ran out of my seat and towards Zuko, who had been left at the door.

"Zuko, we need to go. We need to get to the boat."

"But, Kiara?", Zuko whispered, looking at me with his amber eyes

"There is no time" I pulled him up and let him lean on my shoulder as we walked to the boat we were assigned. While Zuko was being looked after by a medic, I walked onto the back of the boat, staring back at what we left behind. Zuko only hand me and Kiara, if she managed to escape my brother.

**...**

**Kiara's P.O.V.**

I knew something was wrong when Azula and guards walked up to our house, disrupting my training. My father scowled, but moved away. "We'll continue later.", He said, before walking off. Shit just went down.

"Lady Kiara?", She asked.

"Yes. That's me. What's the matter, Your Highness?", I replied.

"The Fire Lord requests your presence immediately."

"Of course." I said, and I followed Azula towards the palace.

We entered one of the grand halls in the palace. Sitting at an ebony table was The Fire Lord, Zuko's father. I was immediately wary, I hadn't seen Zuko or Iroh since yesterday. I was worried.

"My dear, please sit. We have much to talk about." He said, gesturing to the spot next to him, I sat.

"What is the matter, My Lord?"

"My son, Prince Zuko, has been misbehaving lately. So much that I had to banish him."I stifled a gasp. The Fore Lord looked at me, and continued,"I am unsure if you are aware, but your father and I are very close, so close that we would like to unite our families. It was originally going to be you and my son, but as he is not here, it must be your brother and my daughter. When Azula turns 16 in three years, she will marry your brother, unless Zuko manages to complete the task I gave him; To find the Avatar."

"But the Avatar hasn't been seen for 100 years!"

"Exactly.", The Fire Lord said, smirking at me.

...

LET ME PUNCH YOU


	4. Chapter 4

**Plucie,**

**We all hate Zuko's dad.**

**Zuko4Life**

**I KNOW I LOVE THAT MOVE TOO IT'S SO COOL GAHSDJGLAFHJDSLGAFHJSDGLAFHJ SDGAFHJSDGLAHFJGSDLHJAFGLSJH **

**And, I shall warn thee, plot twists are ahead.**

**...**

**Kiara**

"Higher! Higher, Kiara!", My father yelled, and I kicked my leg higher, sending a column of flame into the sky. Ever since Zuko went missing, we've been moving towards the Southern Water Tribe. My father wanted to keep Mako, Ty Lee and I out of the Fire Lord's creepy watch, so we've been traveling as refugees ever since.

Well, technically, we are.

Ty Lee joined the circus a year ago, and my father had been harder with the training. Every day, three times a day, I'm pretty much training all day. But I don't care. I am safe.

No,

I _was_safe.

It was about three years after Zuko and Uncle Iroh went missing, and we were training as usual. My father was crazy about how weak my bending with my legs were, so he would spend most of the time on that. Now, he was testing me.

I watched as the fire circled my legs, and felt the warm tingly feeling of the fire. We'd discovered during the first six months of training that I was fireproof. Cool, I know. Like, imagine being fireproof.

Azula can't touch this. Mako and I were singing that all day when we found out. It went a little like this:

Der der-der-der na na,

'Zula can't touch this.

We sand that every time we travelled, and we stopped after my father threw a frying pan at my head, and missed, breaking a jar of tea, which prompted a melodramatic 'NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO O!' from me.

Anyway, we were training as usual. It turns out the earrings my mother left for me actually increased the amount of energy you drew from the sun, so I was stronger at night that normal benders.

Again, Azula can't touch this.

I was throwing fire at my father, and I whooped when his shirt caught alight. He tore it off and jumped on it, making me laugh. "Got you!", I yelled, and he smiled.

Then the smile faltered, and he pushed me behind a bush. "Stay down, and run once they're gone!", He hissed, and I hid myself underneath the bush as General Zhao walked in, flanked by firebenders.

"Well, look who we have here.", Zhao smirked, and my father growled. "The Dragon of the North, Aki." Wait,Dragon!?

"Be careful where you tread, General.", My father threatened, and Zhao laughed.

"I ask for nothing more but an answer to a question of the Fire Lord's.", He lifted his hands up, and I glared at him. "Where is your daughter?"

"Why would I tell you that?", My father replied, and Zhao growled.

"Answer me, or I'll burn down your house and the village.", He yelled, hand lighting up. "You don't want things to get messy, do you?"

My father sighed, and I felt my eyes water. I'd do anything to help the earthbenders in the nearby town, Ai. My father was a common sight there when he was young, so they accepted us as normal Earth Kingdom people when they saw my father's face. My father looked up, and met Zhao's gaze. "Go to hell.", He spat at the General's feet, and all hell broke loose.

The bushes, plants and house all went up in flame, and I held my breath as Zhao lifted his hand. "You had your chance, Dragon.", He sneered, and one flicker of crimson later, my father was dead, sprawled on the floor as our home burned. Zhao and the other benders walked out, and I heard a struggle going on. I could make out a figure being dragged out from the corner of my eye, and my breath caught in my throat as Mako was dragged away like a criminal.

The house collapsed, and I could see people trying to put out the fire. If they saw me unscathed, who knows what they'll think? They might think that I killed my family. I had to run. So I ran, past the burning bushes, the crumbling home, and ran into the woods. Once my burning home was out of sight, I collapsed by a tree and began to cry.

Where could I go now? I was an orphan, my little brother was being dragged away, I had no clue where Ty Lee was...

I was helpless, and alone. I went to pull my skirt down, but my fingers brushed against an unfamiliar fabric. I brushed off the dirt, and it revealed an emerald green. Earth Kingdom clothes. I stood up, and lifted up the things. They looked about my size, consisting of a green dress with a darker green throw-over. A dark green, almost black scarf finished it off, and would be perfect to cover my face, hair and ears.

I tugged at my clothes, and they fell apart in my hands. So, the fire ruined my clothes, but I was still unscathed, that's kinda creepy. I threw on the Earth Kingdom garb, and tore up my old clothes, before scattering the fragments on the ground. Wild animal attack, classic.

I had just finished my work when a bush began to shake. I drew the scarf closer to me, and last person I would have expected appeared.

She looked exactly like me, same brown hair, same frame, face shape, same everything. Except our eyes, while mine were amber, her's were grey.

"Who're you?", She asked, okay then, she even sounded like me. Spirits, are you trying to care me or something, because this isn't funny.

"I should be asking you the same question.", I growled, and she lifted her hands. A bender, huh? I braced myself for water, earth, maybe fire, but I got none of those.

Instead, I was blasted back, and I closed my eyes as wind blew dirt in my eyes. "Answer me!", She yelled, but my mouth was useless.

"You're an air bender.", I gasped, and she stopped the wind.

"Yes, and?"

"Air benders are extinct."

"Ha ha, no.", She looked at me like I was crazy, and I felt like it.

"Yeah, they are. They were killed 100 years ago.", I said, and she laughed.

"Look, honey, I'm an air bender, so there are air benders left. There's me, and there's the Avatar."

"Wait, they're alive!?", Holy Agni Kai I need to know NOW!

"And I know where they are."

"Where?"

"The South Pole.", Crap. "So, what's your name?"

"Kiara, you?"

"Nim.", Why did that sound so familiar?

I looked up, and mentally slapped myself. Come on, Kiara, what did your mother say before?

'If you see yourself with different eyes, your life will come with a surprise.' Wait, what? My mind flickered through thousands of scrollls I had read in my lifetime, then, BAM, it hit me like a punch in the face.

Nim, Nim, Ni-

Holy Agni Kai.

Airbender alive, looking like me, if I was right-

Then I'm one of the Chosen.

...

**And on that note, good day!**


End file.
